Need help with my sr3 skimmer

[maxheadroom]

I have a 29 gallon biocube that i just started last week. I have a CPR Aquatics SR3 skimmer thats been running since i started, but there's nothing in the collection cup. The LR I bought is fully cured and I got the water from the same LFS. WHERE'S THE SLIME I WAS PROMISED??!! Please help. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Thanks.

 

[maxheadroom]

A little help here!!!! Please. Please?

 

[jmart55]

I just put mine on a week ago. No skimmate yet but I have a pretty low bio-load. I'll let you know how it's going.

 

[dzeadow]

if there's no DOC's in the system, there isn't going to be any skimmate. So, if you have no fish/hermits/snails pooping in there, there isn't anything to collect. Your LR is cured, so there's no die off, your water's clean so there's nothing to take out. Plus the skimmer has to break in so, it's breaking in now and when you actually add stuff, it'll work like a charm I'm sure. just be patient. As long as the skimmer's producing bubbles, i'm sure it's working just fine.

 

[maxheadroom]

I don't see any bubbles.

 

[dzeadow]

Is your airline connected to the pump? Is it sucking air vs. water? Sometimes the airline for the venturi falls in the sump or tank and people don't notice, that'd be one reason it wouldn't create any bubbles.

 

[maxheadroom]

The airline is connected and not in the water.

 

[dzeadow]

so there's no bubbles in the reaction chamber at all?

 

[maxheadroom]

none.

 

[maxheadroom]

there's water flowing through the skimmer, just no bubbles, or slime or anything in the chamber.

 

[luke33]

Run some water through your air tubing. If that doesn't work try blowing through it. If you can't blow through it then the nipple on the pump is probably got a thin piece of plastic blocking it. I've had this happen with stock venturi's before.

 

[maxheadroom]

thanks, luke33. I'll try that when I get home. Stuck at work for now.

 

[luke33]

I hear ya on that one.....work...for the birds man. If that doesn't work then you may have it in to deep of water. Easy way to tell is keep it running and lift it up a few inches at a time. It may take it a week or so to break in but if its been running that long your pry good to go.

FWIW, cured LR gives off plenty of DOC's for skimmate. There's not much die off but there's waste from the LR, snails, LS, cleanup crews all of them will help in skimmate production. I would pull a cup or two a day of dark skimmate from my 125 when i only had lr and ls with a cleanup crew in there.

 

[dzeadow]

I checked your build thread over in the nano tank forum, does that skimmer have a built in air silencer that the airlines go into? I'd check in there as well to make sure the airlines aren't kinked or something silly, or blocked in some way.

 

[maxheadroom]

Yeah. it does have something attached to the end. I wasn't quite sure what it was though. Thanks for the help.